Name: Japan alerts citizens about possible megaquake
Uploaded: 2025-12-11T16:37:41.005Z
Duration: 1 min 52 s
Description: Japanese authorities are assessing damage after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks. In response, officials have issued a warning about the possibility of a megaquake, defined as a magnitude 8.0 or higher event.

Japanese authorities are assessing damage after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks. In response, officials have issued a warning about the possibility of a megaquake, defined as a magnitude 8.0 or higher event.

Tokyo

Japanese authorities are assessing damage after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks. In response, officials have issued a warning about the possibility of a megaquake, defined as a magnitude 8.0 or higher event, though they emphasize the likelihood is only about 1%.

Japan's vulnerability to earthquakes is due to its location at the intersection of four tectonic plates, resulting in frequent seismic activity. Government analysis warns that a megaquake in the affected area could result in significant casualties and economic damage, but officials clarify that the warning is precautionary and not an indication of an imminent event.

Japan alerts citizens about possible megaquake

Japan's government is assessing the extent of damage after this 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck North Japan earlier this week. The event was followed by multiple aftershocks and led officials to issue a warning of a possible mega quake to come in the area. Officials stress there's only about a 1% chance of a mega quake and the warning is just to encourage preparedness, but since there's a lot of chatter and misinformation online right now, since that warning was issued, we want to clear things up. What is a mega quake and why is Japan at risk? Well, the friction from tectonic plates shifting against one another releases energy through the Earth's crust. We feel that as the ground shakes. That energy can also displace large amounts of ocean water that creates tsunamis. Japan is surrounded by four tectonic plates, which make it vulnerable to earthquakes in general. The country experiences an average of 1,500 a year, according to the University of Tokyo, but most of those quakes are very minor. Now a mega quake has a magnitude of 8.0 or higher, which is 10 times stronger than a magnitude 7.0 quake. The 2011 quake that hit northern Japan was a 9.1, which along with its accompanying tsunami resulted in more than 19,000 deaths. If a mega quake happened in the area impacted by this week's earthquake, up to, you see the number right here, almost 200,000 lives could be lost and economic damage could reach almost $200 billion, according to government analysis. It could also cause a tsunami with a wave up to 98 feet tall. Now it's important to stress that officials aren't saying a mega quake is imminent, but they are issuing this guidance as a warning of its possibility.

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